We are going to give a complete account of the activity which is quite famous in the Elephants Sanctuary of Jaipur. Paint the elephant activity- this activity is claimed by many as unethical and harmful to the skin and overall health of elephants and where the elephant owners call it completely ethical.

To know the real facts behind this story, let’s take a deep dive into the process of color making and other aspects related to elephants and activities with elephants in Jaipur directly from the team of Ele Jungle which owns 30 elephants in Jaipur and are engaged in rearing and taking care of these elephants from past three generations.

How colors are made 

The sourcing of colors is a very simple and easy process. Nothing synthetic or artificial is required to prepare the elephant paint colors. Orange peel powder, crushed rose leaves powder, sandalwood powder, Ashtagandha (ethnic powder used for religious purposes is a mixture of 8 kinds of naturally available ingredients known for its skin calming properties), turmeric powder, and crushed beetroot powder are easily available in dried form. Elephant Painting activity in Jaipur is highly demanded by tourists of all ages because they feel it makes elephants feel good about being decorated just like when humans feel good and confident when they put on some makeup or do facelifting. 

The most encouraging point about these colors is that they all are natural and highly consumed for human consumption for oral application. They are high in demand for their benefits that extend to soothing irritated skin, relieve sunburn, cooling off excess heat from skin, and having anti-aging effects. We source our coloring products from renowned suppliers who deal in manufacturing and selling authentic herbal powders and their dried raw form.

Application of colors

After careful selection and sourcing of colors, before application, the colors are mixed using water and sugar. Sugar makes it stick to the skin and if herbal color chalks are available they need not to be mixed with water or any kind of agent. Because their color sticks on its own on the skin of elephants. 

Whenever painting the elephant activity is taken up it is always carried out in the presence of the elephant caretaker.  Since the mahout or caretaker knows and understands his elephant better and the observation indicates any kind of disinterest of the elephant in the activity, it is humbly requested to the guests not to proceed ahead. 

For application of colors, a soft wooden brush is used that is dipped in color mixture. The skin areas around the eyes and mouth and trunk are always avoided for coloring. Painting on the forehead and stomach of elephants is something which is highly enjoyed by children at the farm.    

Time duration to wash off the colors

As soon as the elephant is taken for wash or pool activity the color gets washed off on its own. However,  a painted elephant is not taken in the pool for hygiene purposes as it is shared by the guests of the farm along with the elephants. As soon as the guest leaves and time permits, the elephant is taken for a wash and all colors get rinsed off.

Ele Jungle is a core supporter of treating elephants with respect and care. We strongly oppose any kind of abuse or profit-making activity from